Sea Shepherd asks public to dig deep with donations wish list

SMOKE bombs, vegan cooking supplies and birthday candles - they're just part of an extraordinary wish list anti-whaling activists want us to provide to help them battle Japanese whalers.

The controversial Sea Shepherd Conservation Society are asking you to dig through your kitchen cupboards or back shed for some tofu, a silicon deep-frying scoop, some strong 6-inch magnet trays or a 50-inch TV with USB so they can properly deck out their vessels for high-seas conflict.

One of the society's fleet, the Steve Irwin, is sailing from Williamstown in Victoria this weekend for the Southern Ocean.

"Last year we saved 768 whales and the year before 829. This next campaign, Operation Zero Tolerance, we plan to stop them from getting any whales because as far as we are concerned the only reasonable number of whales that should be killed is zero," Peter Hammarstedt, captain of the Bob Barker, which is docked in Sydney, said.

Known for its militant tactics, including ramming whaling ships, boarding whaling vessels while at sea and scuttling whale boats, the US-based group has four ships, an international crew of 120 volunteers, two helicopters and sophisticated drones at its disposal.

It recently lost its bid to boost donations in Australia by becoming a charity and is hosting a fund-raising event at Parliament House in Sydney on Friday.